Smart irrigation system for monitoring and controlling water flow

ABSTRACT

The present system identifies leaks in irrigation systems by monitoring the overall flow at an irrigation system valve. The system may monitor typical flow rates and may send a signal to shut off an irrigation system valve if an unexpected or excessive flow rate is detected. The present technology can be used in traditional sprinklers, drip irrigation systems, and other irrigation systems.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED MATTERS

This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/042,857, filed Jul. 23, 2018, which is a continuation application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/460,342, filed Aug. 14, 2014, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,039,240, which claims priority to and benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/865,764, filed Aug. 14, 2013 andentitled “DEVICE FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING IRRIGATION,” the entirecontent of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to monitoring water flow, and inparticular is related to automated monitoring and control for irrigationsystems.

Description of the Prior Art

Water and water conservation are becoming extremely more important dueto climate changes and unprecedented drought conditions bothdomestically and globally. Historically, detection of water flowproblems, such as that from a broken or malfunctioning lawn sprinklerhead or broken or malfunctioning drip irrigation systems, has beenlimited to visual identification either from a ‘geyser’ of water wherethe sprinkler should be or from an unusually wet spot around thesprinkler or from landscaping and/or lawn that is turning brown due tolack of water. Leaks in general are usually located by visualobservation of the leaked water.

In some cases, such as on boats, leaking water can be detected bysensors placed in such a way to detect water before the leak becomes asignificant problem. However, in systems such as home or commercial lawnirrigation systems, it is impractical to deploy a sufficient sensorarray to detect a leak without visual observation. Further, most homeand commercial sprinkler leaks occur during watering cycles when eitherthe home occupants or other owners/users are not likely to observe theleaking water. Detection typically does not occur until further damagehas occurred, such as washing out of soil in the area or water damage toa fence or wall or noticeable changes in landscape such as the grassturning brown or foliage dying.

Some attempts have been made to commercialize sprinkler leak suppressionat the sprinkler heads. This is somewhat impractical for general usebecause it requires a large number of detectors (one for every sprinklerhead). Further, it does not protect against a break in the supply lines,nor is it practical for use in ‘drip’ irrigation heads which have verylow flow.

What is needed is an improved method for monitoring and controllingirrigation as well as a system that is easy to install for existingirrigation systems.

SUMMARY

The present technology solves the leak detection problem in irrigationsystems by monitoring the overall flow at an irrigation system valve.The system may monitor typical flow rates and may send a signal to shutoff an irrigation system valve if an unexpected or excessive flow rateis detected. The present technology can be used in traditionalsprinklers, drip irrigation systems, and other irrigation systems.

In embodiments, the present technology may include a method may monitorfluid flow. The method may include monitoring fluid flow through a fluidflow system. A baseline flow level may be determined by circuitry incommunication with the fluid flow system. Subsequent flow may becompared to a threshold based on the baseline. The fluid flow may beadjusted in the fluid flow system by the circuitry based on thecomparison.

In embodiments, a system may be used to monitor fluid flow. The systemmay include a sensor, circuitry, a control valve, and a controller. Thecircuitry may be in communication with the sensor and control valve andthe control valve may control flow of a fluid. The circuitry maydetermine a baseline fluid flow based on data received from the sensorand generate a signal to adjust the fluid flow based on a comparison ofsubsequent fluid flow and a threshold associated with the baseline.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an water flow control system

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a leak detector system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a water flow control system with a controlvalve placed after a control valve.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a water flow control system with a controlvalve placed before a control valve.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for detecting fluid flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present water flow monitoring and control system measures andmonitors the flow of water provided to and processed through a wateringsystem. The device utilizes a sensor such as a pressure or flow detectorin or adjacent to a supply pipe displaced before or after the controlvalve. The sensor may be monitored by a circuit which is designed tomonitor the pressure and flow. The system may monitor typical flow ratesand may send a signal to shut off or modify the flow of a water flowsystem valve if an unexpected or excessive flow rate is detected.

A valve may be an active control device that may control the flow rateof water through a branch of a water flow system such as an irrigationsystem. A manifold may be an inactive device that distributes water toone or more branches of an irrigation system. For example, a valve mayturn water flow on or off for one or more branches of the irrigationsystem. The device could shut off the flow until manually reset or couldshut it off for a period of time and then reset itself. In someinstances, the system may instruct the valve to limit the flow ratherthan shutting it off entirely. For valves which cannot open partially,this could be accomplished by periodically opening and closing thevalve.

When a flow level exceeds a threshold, indicating a potential leak orother flow abnormality or unexpected condition, an alert may begenerated. The alert may include an audible alarm, text, visualindicator, communication to another device, or some other form ofcommunication. Such communications could be through wired, wireless, orother methods to connect with local or remote systems which are devisedto monitor for such alarms. Alerting could be delayed instead of instantby recording the information for later retrieval.

The present monitoring system could be configured to recognize flowpatterns at different times of the day, week, month, year, or any othercycle of time, and generate an alert based on the measured flow. Thepresent system may ‘learn’ a normal water flow pattern or patterns overa period of time, and then enter a mode where the present system‘enforces’ the pattern or patterns with thresholds placed at patternboundaries and alerts. The present system may have multiple monitoringmodes (for example monitoring based on learned baselines determined on adaily basis, weekly basis, monthly basis), or could be programmed to beboth learning and enforcing at the same time.

Multiple patterns or flows could be monitored with different triggers toindicate a problem. They could be simultaneous or set for differenttimes or for some other control to set the different monitoring modes.

Detectors may be placed at strategic locations in the system. Forexample, a version of the detector could be incorporated into the valvemechanism or could replace the valve entirely with normal control logicin addition to leak detection. Other variations could utilize the devicefor general water supply monitoring, for example when tuned to thetypical water flow utilization of a household. For instance, the presenttechnology could alert a homeowner to an unexpected increase in flowwhich might indicate a hidden leak in the system. Such leaks includefailed toilet valves or leaking sinks, or larger leaks such as aswimming pool supply line.

In some embodiments, other variations could utilize the device for flowof substances other than water, such as chemicals in a manufacturingfacility with a predictable flow which suddenly changes, indicating aleak in the plant; or a leak in a coolant line; or a leak in a powderedsubstance delivery line. Virtually any substance with a predictable flowrate could be monitored by such a device.

The present technology can be used in both traditional sprinklers, dripirrigation systems, and other irrigation systems. Additionally, thoughthe present system is discussed herein with respect to water flowmonitoring, it can be further expanded to monitoring any substance inany controlled flow setting where an undesired change in flow could bedetected.

There are devices in the marketplace which are purely mechanical andneed to be installed at each one of the sprinkler heads. This “everysprinkler head” technology is not adaptable to drip irrigation systemswhich are becoming more prevalent with increasing climate change anddrought conditions, and are not easily scalable to larger systems. The“every sprinkler head” technology also does not address when there aredamages to the piping which commonly occurs.

The present system may utilize and leverage existing technology at oneor more valves instead of at each and every sprinkler head. With acombination of mechanical water flow metering, a micro-chip andsoftware, the present system requires fewer devices than those of theprior art and will also has the tolerances be able to manage water flowand loss related to drip irrigation systems.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an irrigation control system. The system ofFIG. 1 includes a sprinkler control system and an electronic sprinklerleak detector system. The sprinkler control system includes a sprinklerstation controller 110 and a sprinkler solenoid valve 120 located at amanifold 125. The sprinkler station controller 110 provides a signalline to the sprinkler solenoid valve and receives a signal from amicrocontroller 140 within the electronic sprinkler leak detector system130. The sprinkler solenoid valve receives a water flow input and iscontrolled by a water flow controller 127. The water flow controller 127receives a signal line from the sprinkler station controller 110 and asignal line from the microcontroller 140.

The electronic sprinkler leak detector system 135 may be inserted intothe irrigation distribution system and includes a water flow detectorand a microcontroller. The water flow detector 130 may include a waterflow detection mechanism, such as for example a paddle wheel or someother mechanism for detecting water flow, and a sensor that detects thewater flow information and is able to communicate the information to themicrocontroller 140. The flow sensor may be implemented as a segment tobe connected in-line with the pipe, or it could be installed into theside of the pipe itself through a hole or self-tapping connection. Theinformation may be communicated mechanically, electronically,wirelessly, or in some other manner. The electronic sprinkler leakdetector system may initialize during normal sprinkler operation and seta programmed shutoff threshold. Based on the detected water flow, theelectronic sprinkler leak detector system may transmit a signal to thesolenoid valve on the Manifold to close.

A flow detector may be placed in or adjacent to the supply pipe beforeor after the manifold valve. The flow detector may be monitored by acircuit which is designed to monitor the flow of water, and isprogrammable to “learn” normal water flow rates for a specific station.If water flow exceeds certain “normal” levels, tolerances may beprogrammed into the microchip and the present system determines if thereis excessive flow. If excessive water flow is determined while thesystem or manifold is in operation, the present system sends a signal tothe Manifold and interrupts the low voltage power supply and closes thevalve.

The present system can be programmed to follow a variety of protocols,for example shutting the valve off for the remainder of the time of thatspecific Manifold's watering cycle and then reset itself for the nextwater cycle and repeating the monitoring program for that station. Thepresent system could be programmed to instruct the valve to limit theflow rather than shutting it off entirely. For valves which cannot openpartially, this could be accomplished by periodically opening andclosing the valve.

The present system may have a visual or audio indicator that may providenotification of a problem. The repair person could hit an over-ridebutton that would allow the valve to remain open so that the repairperson could visually inspect where the problem is.

Because the present system may be connected to a timer (e.g.,implemented by the controller), the program could be adapted with anintegrated time clock that would have a visual or audio signalidentifying a problem. The programming and wireless connection can beincorporated in the time clock thus serving as the master controller andconnectivity point for the present system.

The present system can be installed in a variety of ways such asconnecting downstream from each of one or more manifolds in theirrigation system or “upstream” to monitor several manifolds. Thepresent system is designed to be easily installed using existing PVCpipe fittings with a self-tapping connection for the mechanical pieceand an integrated water proof/resistant microchip. The present systemcan also be designed to incorporate the microchip functionality as partof the manifold and/or as part of the time clock itself.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a leak detector system. Leak detectorsystem 200 includes a microcontroller 210, sensor 220, and flow detector230. In the example illustrated, the flow detector is a magnetic tippedpaddle wheel and the sensor may include a Hall sensor. Leak detectorsystem 200 provides an exemplary implementation for electronic sprinklerleak detector system 135. Other implementations may be used based ondesign preference and the scope of the present technology is notintended to be limited to the implementation provided in FIG. 2.

The shut-off valve system of the present technology may includeintelligence for determining when a particular pipe, sprinkler head ordrip system is leaking. The intelligence may be included in a leakdetection system and may operate to determine a baseline of water flowfor one or more branches of a water system. Water flow measurement datafor a period of time, such as for example an hour, several hours, a day,or some other time period, may be reported to a system controller. Thecontroller may determine a baseline from the reported data and determineif the current flow is within the baseline or within an allowedtolerance of the baseline, such as within ten percent of the baseline. Abaseline may be determined for each and every water line in adistributed water system, groups of selected water lines, or some otherconfiguration of waterlines in a water system.

A baseline may be determined from the water flow measurement data, andmay be determined as a single value or a range of values. For example,the baseline may include an average of the water flow over time. Thebaseline may be determined as the average water flow as determined fromthe water flow measurement data from one or more periods of time, suchas the last hour. The baseline may be determined as the average waterflow over several periods of time, such as the water flow from 6:00 AMto 10:00 AM the previous three days. Other methods of determining abaseline from the water flow measurement data may also be utilized.

The present system may generate an alert if a system is detected to notbe functioning according to a particular threshold. Alerts may include avisible indicator, an audible alarm, or communication to another device.Such communications could be through wired, wireless, or other methodsto connect with local or remote systems which are devised to monitor forsuch alarms. Alerting could be delayed instead of instant by recordingthe information for later retrieval.

When a leak is detected in the water system, for example in the form ofreduced water pressure or a violation of an allowed tolerance from abaseline water flow, the control system may generate and transmit anotification. The notification may indicate a level of importance, thedetails of the detected water flow, and one more water lines associatedwith the detection. For example, if the water flow is detected to beoutside a tolerance for a first period of time, such as five minutes, afirst low level notification may be generated. If the water flow isdetected to be outside a tolerance for twenty minutes or more within aperiod of one hour, a second notification having a higher importance maybe generated.

A notification may provide water line identification and other data to asystem administrator. For example, a notification may include water flowinformation such as average water flow, maximum water flow, and minimumwater flow for a period of time associated with the alert. When thealert is associated with a baseline, the alert may also includeinformation associated with the particular baseline used to generate thealert, for example when the baseline data was collected. In embodiments,alerts may be configured by a user to include whatever information andformat preferred to the user. The alerts may be delivered in any ofseveral formats, such as SMS notification, email, phone call, and otherformats.

Embodiments of the present system can be configured, for example viaprogramming the controller, to recognize flow patterns at differenttimes of the day, or of the week, or month, or year, or during anypredictable cycle of time, and then raise an alert through anyappropriate method. Multiple patterns or flows could be monitored withdifferent triggers to indicate a problem. They could be simultaneous orset for different times or for some other control to set the differentmonitoring modes.

The present system does not have to be placed near the supply valve, butcould be placed at strategic locations in the Watering System. Forexample, a version of the present system could be integrated as part ofthe valve and/or the Timer/controller with normal control logic inaddition to flow detection.

Other variations could utilize the present system for general watersupply monitoring, for example when tuned to the typical water flowutilization of a household, an advanced version of the device couldalert the homeowner to an unexpected increase in flow which mightindicate a hidden leak in the system. Such leaks include failed toiletvalves or leaking sinks, or larger leaks such as a swimming pool supplyline. As an example, NV Energy has moved to install SmartMeter whichusers can go online and look at their power usage. The present systemcan be similarly used to be incorporated in any SmartMeter for wateruse.

Other variations could utilize the device for flow of substances otherthan water, such as chemicals in a manufacturing facility with apredictable flow which suddenly changes, indicating a leak in the plant;or a leak in a coolant line; or a leak in a powdered substance deliveryline. Virtually any substance with a predictable flow rate could bemonitored by the present system.

A water flow sensor may be implemented in any of several locations. FIG.3 is a block diagram of a water flow control system with a control valveplaced after a control valve. The water flow control system of FIG. 3includes a control valve 310, analyzer circuit 320 and sensor 330. Thesensor may be placed after the control valve to detect water flowanomalies, such as water flow that is outside a specified range centeredon a baseline, for output water flow. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of awater flow control system with a control valve placed before a controlvalve. The water flow control system of FIG. 4 includes sensor 410,control valve with sensor 420, analyzer circuit 440 and sensor 430. Inthe system of FIG. 4, the sensor may be placed in the output flow(sensor 430), in the input of water flow (sensor 410), and within thecontrol valve itself (sensor 420).

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for detecting fluid flow. The method beingswith initializing a flow detection system at step 510. Initializing asystem may include powering the system on, allowing for initializationtasks to complete, and other task. In some instances, initializing aflow detection system includes providing input to instruct the system todetermine a baseline of fluid flow.

Fluid flow may be monitored at step 520. The flow may be monitored for aspecific period of time, such as for example one hour, four hours, oneday, one week, one month, or some other period of time. In someinstances, the fluid may be monitored until the system is powered down.In some instances, the fluid may be monitored for a period of time todetermine a baseline flow at step 530. The baseline flow may bedetermined as an average fluid flow over a period of time. The baselinemay be determined for an individual branch of a fluid flow system or fora plurality of branches.

A determination may be made as to whether the subsequent flow isdetected to be within a baseline threshold at step 540. The baselinethreshold may be set within a range of the baseline. For example, thethreshold may be set for plus and minus 10% of the threshold, within astandard deviation for an average value of the flow, or be set as someother value with respect to the average. In some embodiments, multiplethresholds may be set, such as for example a first threshold (e.g., at asecond deviation) at which an alert may be triggered and a secondthreshold (e.g., at a third deviation) at which the fluid flow may bereduced or stopped. If the detected flow is within the baselinethreshold, the method may remain at step 540 where subsequent flow iscompared to the threshold. In some embodiments, the baseline may evolveover time as flow continues.

If the detected flow is not within a baseline threshold, an alert may betriggered at step 550. The alert may indicate the value of flow as wellas other information, such as the time, particular branch detected, andso forth. The flow may be adjusted based on the detected flow determinedto be outside the baseline threshold at step 560. The flow adjustmentmay include reducing the flow, increasing the flow, or stopping the flowfor some period of time.

The present system may leverage some of the infrastructure already inplace for watering systems such as manifold, timers, etc. We suspectthat there are inventions in the marketplace that measure fluidmovement. The uniqueness of this Invention is combining existingmechanical technology with programmable microchip technology which ishighly flexible and can be adaptable to a broad range of applications.Based on our preliminary research by the major water irrigationcompanies, there is no apparent application of the combination of thesetwo technologies in the marketplace.

The present technology relates to a method of preventing excessive waterflow and loss from an incorrectly operating or malfunctioning landscapeor agricultural watering system that typically includes the timer,manifold(s), valve(s), piping, sprinkler heads, drip irrigation systemsor any other type of water distribution system, collectively referred toas the “Watering System”. Current Watering Systems have a dedicatedwater source which is connected to a water valve, the “Valve”, which iscontrolled by a low voltage power supply connected to a control box ortimer, the “Timer”. The Timer sends a signal to the Valve at programmeddays and times and controls the Valve which turns on or off a branch ofthe Watering System. Generally, a Timer controls several Valves whichare dedicated to a series of sprinklers or drip irrigation WateringSystems. When the Valve switches on, water flows from the supply throughthe Valve to all of the emitters in the lines serviced by that specificValve. If any portion of the Watering System fails, excess water is notdirected correctly and results in water loss. Current Valves simply turnoff or on at designated days and times the flow of water and do notrecognize if there are anomalies in water flow rates.

The present system is a device that can be easily installed at anindividual Valve or a series of Valves and uses the existing powersupply to control the device and the Valve and can be viewed as acircuit breaker as commonly found in electrical installations. Whenthere are anomalies in the Watering System, the present system, by usinga combination of micro-chip programmable technology and mechanical waterflow metering can detect these anomalies and when they are in excess ofprescribed tolerances, will send a signal to the Manifold and in effectwould “trip the switch” and turn off the water supply for that station.The Timer would continue to go through its normal programming to thenext watering station. The present system would be programmed to resetitself so that when the Timer subsequently sends the signal to theValve, the present system would go through the same routine and if theanomaly is again dedicated, will again turn off that Valve.Alternatively, the system could be programmed to keep the Valve turnedoff until it was manually reset. The present system would have anindicator which would notify the user that there is a malfunction in theWatering System. The tolerances of the present system would be able todetect anomalies for all types of Watering Systems.

The system may include a button that when activated initiates a processfor the controller to “learn” the normal flow rate of the sprinkler ordrip irrigation system. Each system may be considered a separate branchof the irrigation system. For example, from the main water line, theremay be a manifold which branches off into between 2-4 valves which areoperated by low voltage and controlled by the timer. As an example,branch 1 can be the front of the yard sprinkler heads with 8 stations;branch 2 can be another 8 sprinklers heads for the rear section of thefront yard. Branch 3 & 4 can be two distinct systems that serve as thedrip irrigation for plants and bushes. In all scenarios, the device maybe installed into each branch and learn the normal rate of water flowirrespective if is a sprinkler or drip irrigation system. A separatemanifold is usually installed to service the irrigation requirements ofthe back yards and the same principals apply.

As a basis for measurement, the system may learn the normal flow rate ofrate for a functioning sprinkler system or drip irrigation system. Thelearning button may be depressed and in a short period of time, forexample thirty seconds, once the system is fully engaged, and the systemmay learn the normal water rate at that time. Each branch may haveunique characteristics which differentiate what is normal as compared tothe other branches due to the number of stations, gravity and distancecovered. Once the system has learned the flow rates of a functioningsystem, an indicator or alert, such as an LED light, will, for example,remain green to indicate that it has “learned” the flow rate.

In embodiments, one or more controllers can be installed on the upstreamportion of the water shut-off value. That is, residential water comesinto the valve and is controlled, either off or on, by the valve.Another version of this would be installed and positioned between themain water source and the manifold, effectively having the ability tocontrol water to all stations. In this situation, there would be amaster controller valve installed above the manifold which then would beable to communicate with each individual shut off valves and which wouldmeasure water flow. If there is an issue with abnormal water flow, themaster valve could shut off water to the entire manifold. Thisconfiguration may be beneficial in case of a faulty situation in themanifold itself which commonly occurs. The significance of thisconfiguration is that the collective upstream valve will not onlymonitor the water coming into the manifold, it communicates to eachstation and through redundancy can shut off the flow going into thevalve or separately and independently shut off only the station where aleak is detected. For purposes of terminology, the parent valve isbetween the city water source and manifold and the Branch valveregulates a particular branch downstream of the manifold.

Many cities have water requirements and restrictions to watering basedon the time of day and the day of the year. The parent and/or branchdevices can be pre-programmed to be in compliance with the wateringrules based on the water agency guidelines. As an example, in thesummer, no watering is allowed between the hours of 11:00 am to 7:00 PM.The parent and/or branch can be programmed to ensure that the wateringrequirements are met. The watering requirements also make distinctionsbetween the times a sprinkler can run versus that of a drip irrigationsystem.

The present system may incorporate or be able to access a calendar thatwill automatically adjust to the changes in the allowed watering timesbased on the time of year and local watering guidelines. There arecurrently lighting devices that are available with a built in time anddate calendar adjustable to the time zone of the installation, with theability to shift to DST. This is similar concept for the present system.The logic for this particular functionality can be programmed in thetimer or the Parent/Branch Devices. The present technology canincorporate a USB or similar adapter that the homeowner or landscapercan plug into and set the water times, or any other direct or remotecommunication method.

A critical component of any system malfunction is a warning system thatalerts the owner that there may be a problem. One method of solving thiswould be to have a red LED light on the Parent or Branch device whichshows the system is not operating under green mode. This can beaccompanied by a beeping or periodic chirping coming from the Parent orBranch Device. A second option would utilize the home's wireless networkwhich will generally extend around the perimeter of the residence andthrough a dedicated smart phone or tablet application can push email ortext notifications of a problem. The user can access the application andthe system is designed to pinpoint where there may be a problem. Otheroptions would be utilization of various visible indicators, audibleindicators, communications to other devices, or any combination thereof.

The application will be able to measure the water flow for a particularvalve or branch and calculate the amount of water being utilized. Thecurrent timer clock would enable the homeowner to adjust the wateringtimes, thus providing some override to the regulated watering timesbecause of the vast differences in needs which is based on total plantsand grass being irrigated.

The application may also have a “Rain” function which the user cansimply toggle to Rain which bypasses and suppresses the watering forthat day or other periods as the user defines. The application may beprogrammed to automatically toggle off of Rain mode after a specifiedperiod of time. It could also incorporate a rain sensor to automaticallydetect the presence of sufficient precipitation.

The present system learns the normal flow of water through each valve.Based on the flow of water, the present system may be able to determinegallons used for a period of time which could be by watering cycle, dayor month. This information would be delivered to the application andprovide the user with water usage for a specified time. This featureaccomplishes the goals of providing visibility of water usage to theuser and also serves as a backup warning which may show if the device isnot functioning properly and warrants attention.

Another unique function of the present device would be that the devicewould not be overly intrusive to install and the intention is “lay over”an existing system which would minimize the need for extensive diggingup of pipes and plumbing the manifold or individual stations.

The system may also be designed to protect from insufficient watering,as another problem which happens quite often is that a sprinkler head ordrip irrigation becomes clogged and fails to deliver water as needed.The present device will measure when there are decreases in water flowdownstream due to a faulty device, and will recognize when there is apressure build up when a particular sprinkler hear or bubbler isclogged. In this instance, the system or branch may not turn off butrather through any method of indication would notify the homeowner thatthe system needs to be inspected.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for monitoring and controllingwater flow in an irrigation system including a plurality of water pipebranches, the method comprising: measuring water flow or water pressurethrough each of the plurality of water pipe branches for a predeterminedperiod of time; determining a baseline water flow level for each of theplurality of water pipe branches by an electronic circuit, in responseto water flow or water pressure measurements through each of theplurality of water pipe branches; and when the baseline water flow levelfor a particular water pipe branch exceeds a predetermined threshold forsaid particular water pipe branch, transmitting a wireless signal, bythe electronic circuit, to a portable wireless device to identify andlocate the particular water pipe branch, on the portable wirelessdevice, wherein the wireless signal indicates a low level of importancewhen the baseline water flow level for the particular water pipe branchexceeds the predetermined threshold for a first period of time, andindicates a high level of importance when the baseline water flow levelfor the particular water pipe branch exceeds the predetermined thresholdfor a second period of time, the first period of time being shorter thanthe second period of time, and wherein the wireless signal indicatesaverage water flow, maximum water flow, and minimum water flow for aperiod of time associated with the particular water pipe.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising generating, by the electronic circuit, asignal to reduce or stop water flow only in said particular water pipebranch.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating athreshold for each of the plurality of water pipe branches as thepredetermined threshold, based on one or more of the baseline water flowlevel, the water flow and the water pressure in a respective water pipebranch, for each of the plurality of water pipe branches; and adjusting,by the electronic circuit, the water flow in one or more of theplurality of water pipe branches.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining, by the electronic circuit, whether the waterflow in one or more of the plurality of water pipe branches exceeds thebaseline water flow level by an amount more than the predeterminedthreshold, for the one or more of the plurality of water pipe branches.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring, by a pressuresensor or a flow sensor, water pressure or water flow through each ofthe plurality of water pipe branches, wherein each of the plurality ofwater pipe branches comprises: a manifold for accepting the water flowand a control valve for controlling flow of water.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the pressure or flow sensor is placed after arespective control valve in the water flow.
 7. The method of claim 5,wherein the pressure or flow sensor is placed before a respectivecontrol valve in the water flow.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein thepressure or flow sensor is placed inside a respective control valve inthe water flow.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedthreshold is based on a standard deviation of the baseline water flowlevel.
 10. An irrigation system including a plurality of water pipebranches, comprising: a pressure sensor or flow sensor in each of thewater pipe branches for measuring water flow or water pressure throughsaid each of the water pipe branches for a predetermined period of time;a manifold in each of the plurality of water pipe branches for acceptingthe water flow in said each of the plurality of water pipe branches; anelectronic circuit in communication with the each of the pressure orflow sensors; a control valve in each of the plurality of water pipebranches for controlling flow of water to said each of the pluralitywater pipe branched; and a controller in communication with the controlvalves; wherein the electronic circuit determines a baseline water flowfor said each of the plurality of water pipe branches based on datareceived from a respective pressure or flow sensor, and wherein when thebaseline water flow level for a particular water pipe branch exceeds apredetermined threshold for said particular water pipe branch, theelectronic circuit transmits a wireless signal to a portable wirelessdevice to identify and locate the particular water pipe branch, on theportable wireless device, wherein the wireless signal indicates a lowlevel of importance when the baseline water flow level for theparticular water pipe branch exceeds the predetermined threshold for afirst period of time, and indicates a high level of importance when thebaseline water flow level for the particular water pipe branch exceedsthe predetermined threshold for a second period of time, the firstperiod of time being shorter than the second period of time, and whereinthe wireless signal indicates average water flow, maximum water flow,and minimum water flow for a period of time associated with theparticular water pipe.
 11. The irrigation system of claim 10, whereinthe electronic circuit estimates a threshold for each of the pluralityof water pipe branches as the predetermined threshold, based on one ormore of the baseline water flow level, water flow and water pressure ina respective water pipe branch, for each of the plurality of water pipebranches, and wherein when the baseline for a particular water pipebranch exceeds the threshold for said particular water pipe branch, theelectronic circuit generates a second signal to the control valve forsaid particular water pipe branch to reduce or stop water flow only insaid particular water pipe branch.
 12. The irrigation system of claim10, wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a standard deviationof the baseline.
 13. The irrigation system of claim 10, wherein eachpressure or flow sensor is placed after a respective control valve inthe water flow.
 14. The irrigation system of claim 10, wherein eachpressure or flow sensor is placed before a respective control valve inthe water flow.
 15. The irrigation system of claim 10, wherein eachpressure or flow sensor is placed in a respective control valve in thewater flow.
 16. The irrigation system of claim 10, wherein the pressureor flow sensor and the electronic circuit are displaced external to arespective control valve and the controller.